Quit Confusing Me!
by NumberSixteen
Summary: Castanet is a place for dreams to come true, but it's also a place of new beginnings. Will Molly's new beginning include all her dreams coming true? Maybe fall in love once or twice? A new beginning of a new year with new adventures and new love.
1. Happy New Year!

**Hello beautiful people!:D**

**Aren't you excited?:D I am! This is my very first Harvest Moon Fanfiction, so I hope it runs smoothly and turns out to be a hit for all you peoples out there!:D **

**ANYWAY, I would GREATLY appreciate some support on this fanfic so I don't feel like a total failure and want to quit, so pweeeeese leave a review! Even just one word. Just a single word... :P If you do that for me, you'd make my entire day. No... You'd make my whole LIFE. XD So please be a kind soul and leave a simple review for me. I'd GREATLY appreciate it.**

**Now... ON TO THE STORY, FRIENDS! :DDD**

**~NumberSixteen**

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><p>The sun lazily rose over the horizon along with all of the wonderful people living in Castanet. As the sun steadily shed it's light over the island, one villager in particular was already awake and working. She worked diligently, wasting no time. She is as smart as she is beautiful, but she hardly seems to think she is either of those things. She tugs the jacket on her back closer to her as a cool breeze wandered across the field as she traveled from her coop to her barn to take care of her animals. It was only the first day of the new year. The previous few days had been full of celebrations and love, but now it was time to get back to their lives and take on a new year full of memories.<p>

She entered the barn where her animals were just starting to stir to feed, brush, and love her animals. She did the work with a soft smile on her face, thinking of the new year would bring. She got excited as she imagined the profits of the farm sky-rocketing, but the back of her mind also wondered what else was in store. She finished up her work in the barn and made her way outside. She looked up at the sky and breathed in the cool air of the early spring. It was still nippy outside, so she dug her hands into her pockets until they were stug and warm. She examined her field quietly and saw a thin layer of frost was still coating the dirt, but that would melt soon enough. After all, it was only the first day of spring.

The field was empty and almost looked lonely without any green crops sprouting buds and goods for her to ship off to sell. She decided that she would go buy crops with a satisfied nod of her head and began to march off in the direction of Flute Fields. Not until she had reached the bridge did it occur to her that it was probably still too early to be going there. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was 7:20. She shrugged thinking it was early enough and kept walking. She arrived at Marimba Farm at 7:50 and decided to wait the ten minutes while sitting on the steps of the porch and looking around at her surroundings. Everything would be blooming to life soon and it would be green and beautiful here again and she could hardly wait.

Not that she disliked the cold, but she liked it a bit on the warmer side. Fall was her favorite season because it had a mix of warmth and cold, balancing eachother out. It was the perfect season in her opinion. She glanced down at her watch to find it was 8:05. She'd been sitting and watching the landscape for five minutes more than she needed to. She rose stiffly on her chilled legs and wandered into the store. When she opened the door, a blast of warmth hit her. She felt her rosy cheeks get the feeling back.

"Good morning, Ruth," She said as she made her way toward the counter after shutting the door on the chilly morning behind her.

"Good morning to you too, Molly. How are you?" Ruth stood behind the register with a grin on her face. Her hair was pulled back as usual.

"Well enough, how about yourself?" Molly approached the register, digging some coins out of her pockets to buy a few packages of seeds.

"I'm glad I don't have to be out in the cold working, like you." Ruth chuckled slightly.

"It's not that cold this morning," Molly smiled back at Ruth, "I can already feel it warming up outside."

Ruth nodded, "Me too, so what did you want today?"

Molly examined the list of seeds, contemplating the profits each could bring to the farm before coming to a decision. She bought five turnip seeds and five strawberry seeds. She decided to start off small this season in case it stayed cold longer than she thought and killed all her crops. She thanked Ruth for the seeds and left the shop in good time. Her watch read 9:00 am and figured she was off to a good start this season.

As she was leaving, she glanced over at the house on the right as she passed it. It was Chase's house. He was the cook at the bar during the night, and he was quite an astounding cook. He used only the best ingredients and only served the best food. It suddenly occured to her that she had barely seen him at the festival and never got to wish him a happy new year. She decided that now was a better time than never to get it out of the way, so she skipped up to his door happily and rapped on the door. She stood there for a while without answer and wondered if he was home. Right as she was about to leave, the door swung open and there stood Chase. He was rubbing his eyes groggily. His hair fell into his face without his hairpins to keep it out of the way. He was wearing a pair of pants and a tshirt. They were obviously his pajamas. He dropped his hands from his face, but only after he brushed the hair out of his eyes and he laid his tired purple eyes on you.

Molly instantly blurted out, "Did I wake you up?"

Chase stared at her a moment, trying to register the information and come up with an answer. Finally he replied, "No, I'm always like this in the mornings." He opened the door more and gestured inside, "Want to come in? Its chilly out."

Molly complied and bounced in happily with big grin plastered on her face. Chase shut the door and swung around to face her. His hair fell back into his eyes and he had to lift his hand back up to brush it out of the way in an irritated fashion, "So whats up?"

Molly stood for a moment, obviously trying to remember why she came. Suddenly she raised her finger into the air and another smile took over her face, "Oh yes!" She remembered. "I wanted to wish you a happy new year! I didn't get a chance to talk to you at the festival and I felt bad, so I decided that it would be a good idea to do it now rather than never! So... Happy New Year Chase!"

Chase stood for a moment and just stared at her with a look of utter irritation, "That was it? That was all you needed?"

Molly shrunk back a little, "I'm sorry..."

Chase put a hand up, "No, don't be sorry. It's just that you could have wished me a happy new year later or something." He saw Molly bite her lip and look down at her shoes. He sighed, "Happy New Year to you too, Molly. Thank you."

Suddenly, her disappointed look disappeared and was replaced with a giddy grin, "Thanks Chase!"

Chase turned around to open the door back up to let her out, "Now go get back to work on that farm. I need those good ingredients for the bar."

He heard Molly from behind him, "Yes sir!" She pranced past him and began to make her way back to her farm, casting a wave over her shoulder with the smile still painted all over her face.

**-CHASE'S P.O.V-**

What is it with Molly? Why does she do this constantly? She spontaneously shows up at my doorstep and nine in the morning just to wish me a happy new year? I guess thats nice and all, but doesn't she know that I need to sleep? I have to work late every night and I sleep all morning. It's almost like she doesn't think! It's just like her showing up at the bar right as we are about to close up in hopes of getting a good meal. Of course, Yolanda makes me stay late and make her something. It's just so... Irritating!

You shut the door after Molly left and turned back to your house. It took you about thirty seconds to see the tiny box with a red ribbon on the table. You wandered over to it and looked at the label curiously. 'To Chase: I never got a chance to give you your gift! I hope you like it! ~Molly.' You shrugged aside the label and gave the box a conspicuous look, thinking of all the things that could be inside it. You hesitantly reached for the ribbon and began to untie it and thought of all the bad things it could be. Maybe it was only a decent milk, or worse... a common mushroom. You shuddered, attempting to keep up good thoughts.

You removed the ribbon and lifted the lid off of the box. Inside, hidden under tissue paper was something smooth but hard. You lifted it up to your face to examine it closer. It was a piece of bark, but not only a piece of bark, it was a piece of art. It was a little version of you carved out of the wood. Molly had gotten everything from the three hairclips in your hair to your sleeves rolled up to your shoulders. The little wood piece had almost every detail right. Not all were perfect, but they matched you.

You smiled softly, setting a mental note to thank Molly greatly for the gift. She must have worked so hard on it. You never knew Molly was artistic, none the less this artistic. That girl is an odd one. She's always confusing me. You set the little wooden figure on the counter where you could see it while you cooked. You stared at it for a moment with soft eyes before turning back to your bedroom to catch up on your sleep.

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><p><strong>Ohhh boyyy... I think this started out GREAT.<strong>

**Chase may or may not be the love interest in this story, so don't get too excited Chase-lovers:P**

**Actually, I don't know who the love interest is going to be yet... XD You'll just have to find out with me!:D**

**So like I said before, It's really important that you leave a little piece of you on the way out. So... Preeeetttyyy pweese review..? I'd love you if you did. I'd send you cake. Or a cookie... Maybe I'll just throw it at the screen and hope you recieve it as a thank you. **

**So I'll hopefully be updating soon... :P**

**~NumberSixteen.**


	2. Bar Night

**Helloooo!:D**

**I'm too lazy to write a writers note, so... ON WITH DA STORY! 8D**

**~NumberSixteen**

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><p>With a satisfied look, Molly watered the last seed in the field. Wiping her hands, she looked up at the sky. She estimated in was about noon by the sun's position. She pulled the hair out of her eyes and stretched her back. She wondered what she could do for the rest of the day. She concluded that she hadn't been mining in a few days and decided that it was a good idea.<p>

Making her way up the mountain path, she looked out at the valley beneath her. Harmonica Town was visible, but she couldn't recognize many of the people bustling about. The bridge was in sight now and she continued to make her way to it. Suddenly, she heard a faint shout, "Hiya!" She cocked her head when it came twice more, "Hiya! Hiya!" Curious, she picked up the pace. When she reached the bridge she saw none other than a bandana-baring person swinging a large axe around him and making the sound effects, "Hiya! Hiya!"

Molly wandered across the bridge to look at him closer, stopping on the other side in bemusement. He hadn't even noticed her yet, and he kept swinging his axe around him in pride.

"Luke..?" Molly said quietly, stifling a laugh.

He abruptly swung around to see her standing at the bridge, a smile tugging her lips. "Molly?" He dropped his axe clumsily and scrambled to pick it back up. He slung the blade down into the dirt and lent his arm on the handle. He crossed one foot behind the other in an attempt to look more composed, "What's up?"

Molly released a smile with a slight laugh, but quickly ended it, "Nothing, but I can see I interrupted your fun, so I think I'll just be going." She started to shuffle past him, but he rushed to stop her.

"No! It's okay!" In his attempt to throw his hands out to signal she didn't have to leave, the axe slipped out from under his elbow and started to tip over. Luke twisted around to try and grab it but his crossed legs got tangled up beneath him and he fell alongside the axe with a thump. At that point, Molly couldn't contain her laughter any longer. She busted out into a squeal and clutched her sides in complete pleasure. She doubled over to keep from falling down and wheezed, trying to catch her breath.

When she finally recovered, she stood up to see Luke had gotten up himself and was dusting the dirt off his pants in irritation. He glared at her for a moment when he looked up but he couldn't hold a grudge long. He beamed and laughed at himself, and before they new it, both of them were in stitches. By the time they were coming back to their senses and wiping their eyes, Luke lifted his axe and kept smiling at you, "So whatcha up to, Molly?"

Molly shrugged, "I was thinking about doing some mining to pass the time. How about you?"

Luke shrugged as well, "I was going to go into Fugue Forest and cutting down some more trees. But I did that yesterday... And the day before that... And the day before that..." He sighed, "I guess I just want something else to do for today."

Molly nodded, biting her lip. "Well," she suggested, "You could come along with me if you want to!" You motioned to the mine.

Luke shook his head, "Nah, mining is more of Owen's thing. I don't like cold dark places like a cave."

Molly nodded in agreement. _'Poor Luke,' _she thought, _'He must really be bored today..." _Molly suddenly beamed at him, "Why don't we do something else together?"

Luke returned her smile eagerly, "That'd be great! Thanks Molly!"

Molly shrugged at him, "You're welcome. Now what do you want to do?"

Luke tapped his chin but at that moment his stomach rumbled viciously. They both laughed, "I guess I'm a little hungry! Let's get some food!"

The pair excitedly ran to the mine cart and rode down to Harmonica town. He raced her to the Brass Bar, but of course he beat her and they ordered a mountain of food. By the time they had eaten the whole meal, it was almost four o'clock.

Luke sat back happily in his chair, laying a hand on his tummy in satisfaction, "I'm stuffed," He said bluntly.

Molly laughed but nodded an agreement, "That was delicious." She said it loud enough for Chase to hear. He was behind the counter, diligently working on food for the other customers. He simply cast a look in her direction as a thanks and went back to laboring over the stove.

"What do you want to do now?" Molly asked Luke, trying to sit up but gave up quickly.

"I can tell you I certainly don't want to get up," He laughed in pure amusement at himself.

Molly still leaned back in her chair and said, "Then what do you wanna do?"

Luke answered by shouting out, "A round of drinks for me and the lady!"

Molly cocked her head at him, but he ignored it, "I hope that you won't mind having a cocktail or two," He grinned.

Molly tried to sit up again and this time with success. She planted her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand, "What happened to being full?"

Luke laughed at her, sitting up as well, "I always have room for drinks."

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><p><strong>-Molly's P.O.V-<strong>

It was nearly eleven and you were DRUNK. You and Luke were singing slurred tunes that made no sense and laughed hysterically after each one. Your glasses were still half full of beer and you rose yours clumsily toward Luke, "Cheeers!" you slurred.

"Cheers!" He slurred back, lifting his glass happily and slinging it toward yours. You completely missed and some beer spilled out and onto the floor of the bar.

"Molly!" You could hear Chase say angrily. You swung up your head to find him but the room was spinning too fast.

"Oh I'm sorryyyyy Chasie!" You nicknamed him with a hiccup.

He grabbed for your glass, but you yanked it away clumsily, "No! Mine!"

"Come on, Molly. You've had enough to drink. Give me the glass and I'll take you home." He offered his hand out to you, but Luke butted in for you.

"No man! Let the lady have her drinkkk! You're ruining the fun! You..." He searched for the words for a second, "You... fun-ruiner!"

Chase was taken aback by this, "Well excuse me, Mr. Drunk-as-a-skunk but I'm working and now I have to clean up Molly's mess. So if you don't mind, I think you should go home."

Luke suddenly looked horrified, "Chase!"

Chase squinted at Luke, "Yes?"

"Your..." Luke pointed at Chase's shoes, "Your shoes!"

Chase looked down at his shoes, "What about them?"

Luke opened his mouth again, but seemed to forget what he was going to say, "Uh.. Nevermind.."

Chase suddenly reached out and snatched both yours and Luke's glasses and carried them around to the counter. He slammed them down into the sink and hurriedly poured water into both glasses. "I think it's time someone took both of you home."

"Noooo!" You and Luke whined simotaneously, reaching out somberly.

"Yes!" Chase whirled around and shielded you and Luke from grabbing back your beer glasses. As he said that another man who was significantly larger than Chase came up behind you and Luke.

"Need any help here?" The voice was deep.

Chase suddenly looked relieved, "Owen! Yes I could! Could you maybe take Luke home? I'll take Molly. I need to close up the bar anyway and she lives close to me."

Owen nodded and reached for Luke, "Come on, buddy. We are going home."

Luke reached for you fruitlessly, "No! Molly! Don't let him take me!"

You were going to reach out and help him, but you tripped over your own feet and fell. As you struggled to stand, Owen left the bar and proceeded to carry Luke home.

You swung toward Chase as he washed up the remaining dishes, "This is... yourrr fault!" You slurred, pointing an accusing finger at him, but it actually was pointing to a coffee mug on the counter.

Chase chuckled at you, but you didn't seem to notice, "No Molly, you are the one who got drunk here. Now I am the one who has to take you home."

You pouted at him grouchily, "I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"

He wiped down the counter with a rag, "I'm sure you can."

You grew angry, "I can!"

Chase set the rag down and turned to you, "Then go home, Molly."

You perked up at this idea, "I think I will!" You whirled around awkwardly and stumbled to the door of the bar, letting yourself outside. You slammed the door behind you and kept going toward home. You staggered through town thinking to yourself, _'Where the hell is the bridge?" _Little did you know, you had made a wrong turn at the end of the road and you had found yourself by Choral Clinic. It was dark in all the windows as you looked around yourself wildly. _'Where am I?'_

"Molly." You heard a voice behind you. Whirling around you saw someone you recognized with blue jeans and a black shirt. His hair was pulled back by a few hairpins. The only thing missing was his apron, "Come on, I'll take you home."

You were about to retort to him that you knew exactly where you were and how to get home, but that darkness seemed eerie and it scared you. So you clumsily staggered toward him. He lent you his arm and you took it for guidence and support. "Why are you doing this?" You asked him as he led you up the dirt road to your house.

You felt him shift a little but you never heard his reply because at that point, he opened the door to your house, which you really should start locking, and laid you down on your bed. You instantly passed out.

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><p><strong>-Chase's P.O.V-<strong>

You watched Molly stumble to the door of the bar. She had to hold the wall for support and guidence. She was really drunk tonight. She hardly ever got drunk in the first place. That damn bandana moron probably got her to do it. Why couldn't he have a little more respect for Molly? Not that it matters, but seriously. He's like a kid!

You dried your hands on the rag and slung it over a chair before removing your apron and hanging it on it's peg. You walked out the front door of the bar, shutting it snugly behind you. After locking it, you turned out toward the night. Ahead you could see Molly still stumbling about. She suddenly paused, looking warily around her. She pointed up toward the church and nodded before charging off in a drunken fashion in that direction. You sighed irritably. Of course you weren't going to just leave her to get home by herself. You never planned it. You just decided that you'd follow her and once enough was enough and she'd learned her lesson, he'd take her home.

He followed her a little way as she zig-zagged through town. Finally she stopped outside Choral Clinic, looking wildly around her. Her eyes were wide. She looked very, very lost. At that point, I decided she'd learned her lesson and stepped out where she could see me, "Molly."

She spun around, her eyes searching you wildly. You cocked your head in the other direction, "Come on," you offered your hand, "I'll take you home."

She opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but she just sighed and wandered helplessly toward you, her feet crossing every few steps. You offered her your arm and she slumped onto you. You began to guide her through town. She simply let you lead her without complaint. After you were halfway up the path to her house, she sucked some air and looked up at your face intensely, "Why are you doing this?" She asked.

You didn't look down at her face, you only focused on her front door which was only a few yards away now. You gave off a slight sigh and thought about your answer. Why were you going this? Maybe it was because you felt like you owed her something because of the little figure she'd given you earlier today. You pushed open the front door, noticing it was unlocked. _'She should really start locking it, Goddess knows what could happen'_ you thought to yourself. After shutting the door, you led her to her bed. Once she lay down, you turned around to grab some blankets to throw over her. When you turned back to her, she was already asleep and slightly snoring. You shook your head and started to lay the blankets over her. She looked like she'd be warm enough for this chilly spring night. You were about to leave when you remembered her question. It seemed unfair not to answer so you looked at her sleeping face and said, "Because I owe you." You then made you way out of her house. You shut the door quietly, only after turning the lock did you set the key under the mat and start toward Flute Fields.

When you got home it was already one in the morning. As you entered your dark home, it suddenly hit you how tired you were. You rubbed your eyes and went to the kitchen for a glass of milk before bed. Molly's hand-made wooden figure still perched on the counter. In the carving, you were smiling contently. You smirked and downed your glass of milk. You wiped your mouth with the back of your hand and set the glass in the sink. You went to your bedroom and pulled off your shirt and exchanged your jeans for pajama pants. You climbed into bed and fell into a deep slumber, thinking of the odd events of today.

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><p><strong>Long Chapter? I think yes! 8D <strong>

**I'm extremely pleased and I decided not to be lazy and not write an ending writers note. xP**

**So thanks for reading, it makes me happy! Anyone who reviews recieves a customary Luke plushie!:D**

**And that cake thing didn't really work out... XD So I'm sorry! **

**Any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.:)**

**~NumberSixteen**


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